by AJ Renee
Ryan watched his friend as tension rolled off him. “Sweetheart, what he says is true.”
“You stalked me?” she asked, her eyes weary and confused. “I thought you said you were keeping close tabs on me. He makes it sound like more…”
“Yes. That’s a story for another time. I need you to pack a bag, and don’t forget your grimoire. You’ll need to study it.”
“What?” Brandy yelled and jumped up from his lap. Her hands slammed onto her hips as she leaned forward. “What do you mean pack a bag? Where the hell am I going?” she asked, staring daggers at him.
Peter stepped to her side. “Somewhere safe. Ryan can make sure no one will find us.”
Ryan stayed put, watching as her head swiveled from one to the other.
“For how long?” she asked.
They shrugged.
“For as long as it takes you to get stronger. As long as it takes to keep you safe,” Ryan told her and pushed to his feet.
Chapter 13
A week had passed since Peter and Ryan insisted she pack a bag and leave her home. She had been so upset, another fireball formed in her palm. The men managed to calm her before she burned down the apartment. At that point, she’d agreed to their crazy plan.
“You still mad?” Peter asked as he lowered his phone from his ear. He asked this question every day when she stepped out of her room in his two-bedroom cabin.
Brandy shot him a dirty look and padded into the small kitchen. “Have you heard from him?” she asked as she grabbed a water bottle.
“Have you figured out how to control your fire?” he asked with a raised brow.
“You smell like dirt.”
Peter waggled his brows. “You know you like it.”
Brandy chuckled at their easy banter. It was the same every day. Peter had not only offered up his cabin deep in the woods but was staying with her for added protection. The men caught wind from some tubars that a high-level demon was searching for her.
Not only was she in danger but anyone in contact with her of the human variety. She packed a bag, told her family she was going on a vacation, and called in a huge favor at work. The first had been the easiest, but she was still fielding questions about the other two.
Each day she studied her grimoire, practiced new spells, attempted to control her powers, and trained with Peter in self-defense. When she was not doing any of that, she hung out with Peter, in an attempt to get more information from him, or texting Ryan, who was being elusive about whatever he was doing out there.
Brandy bit her lip and looked at Peter. “I have an idea.”
“If Ryan’s going to kill me for it… no. Unless you want a taste of me… then I’ll take the ass whooping.”
She laughed. “Shut up!”
“Can’t blame a guy for trying,” Peter told her and put his Xbox controller on the coffee table. “What do you need, babycakes?”
Brandy shook her head with amusement. At first, she was hesitant of Peter, but Ryan had promised he trusted Peter with his own life. Sure, she barely knew Ryan, so his promise should not have had any weight, but the small voice in her head told her to trust him. In the short time with the werewolf, she’d learned Peter was not a threat to her.
“I need you to turn.”
“You need me to turn?” Peter asked slowly.
“Yes.”
“Yes?”
“Maybe you’re a wereparrot?”
“Huh?” he muttered.
“Peter. I need you to change forms. Turn into your wolf,” she demanded, hoping to stop both the roundabout conversation and wasting her time.
“No,” he said, shaking his head and falling back onto the couch.
“No?”
“Why on earth do you want me to change forms, babycakes? You realize Ryan would kick my ass?” Peter crossed his arms over his broad chest and stared at her like she’d lost her mind.
Brandy moved to the couch and folded her right leg under her as she sat and faced him. “I need to move this along. I can’t learn how to control this new fire ability if I can’t bring it to the forefront.”
“And you think my wolf form will make you go all pyro?”
“Yes!” Brandy said and hated herself when she placed her hand on his bicep. “Puh-lease.” She pushed her lower lip out for extra emphasis.
She saw worry etched into his features. The tough and very large man vibrated with worry over her rather simple request. There was a chance it would not work, but at this point, she was desperate for forward motion in her learning process. Sure, she had learned some new spells, but the fire ball thing had only happened a handful of times.
Brandy silently cheered when she heard him mutter, “Son of a bitch.”
“If it’s too much,” he said as he stood. “If at any point I scare you, tell me, and I’ll change.” He grabbed the handle to the sliding glass door and pulled it open. “Remember one thing…”
“What’s that?” she asked, excitement bubbling up inside her as she followed him onto the deck.
He pulled his shirt over his head and looked over his shoulder on the short walk to the steps. An intricately designed set of tattoos covered his expanse of muscles. One word, Alumbra, had been woven into the different shades, and it moved as he did. “You can’t unsee any of this,” he said, his voice serious.
Brandy admired the tanned, tattooed muscles of his back. Did he mean seeing his body or his coming form, she wondered. She followed the path he took, about twenty-five yards from the cabin. The sound of a zipper stopped her in her tracks.
Peter tossed his jeans aside, and she got a quick peek at his firm ass before it was coated in hair and a tail appeared.
Her mind flashed to the first werewolf she had seen, only he had been in mostly human form, unlike Peter’s full wolf form. Fear made her body tense, warning her to run for her life. Sweat broke out over her skin, and her hands warmed.
Wolf Peter barked, pulling her back to the present. Brandy shook off the memories as he jogged to her side, quieter than she could have ever expected for a wolf his size. When he got to her side, his warm, wet tongue slid up her fingers. She raised a shaky hand and ran it over his coat. He was the most beautiful wolf, the opposite of the werewolf who had followed her—a reminder they were not the same.
Brandy scrubbed him down, smiling at his beautiful red-brown coat. Peter lowered to the ground, and she continued her attention until he rolled over. Through his thick coat, she could make out his penis. It was something she never cared about when petting a domesticated dog, but the mischievous glint in his eyes reminded her he was no ordinary animal.
“Peter! You’re so dirty!” she scolded him as she pushed to her feet. Peter did the same and when she said, “Wait until I tell Ryan,” he lowered his head with a whimper.
The wolf walked a few feet away and lay down with his head on his large paws. Brandy placed her hands on her hips. “You’re pathetic.”
Remembering why they were even out there, she rubbed her hands together. “Okay, I don’t know how to make it hap—”
A loud growl tore through the woods, and white teeth snapped in her direction. Gone was the sweet, handsome wolf, and in his place was a menacing wolf looking for blood.
Brandy stumbled backward as he stalked toward her. Her body warmed, and her fingers wiggled with power. Suddenly Peter yelped, and she found a ring of fire circling her new friend.
“Oh shit!” she whispered.
Peter sat on his haunches as she tried to figure out how to extinguish the flames. Minutes passed, but she was still unsuccessful in releasing him from his cage. Brandy wiped sweat from her brow, both from the heat and fear the fire would spread. Peter lowered his upper body and she watched with surprise as he humped the air.
A bubble of laughter burst from her lips at his silly antics. She put a hand on her belly as the sound echoed around them. Peter barked, and she spotted the charred ground where her flames once were.
This process went on for a
bout an hour. Peter would scare her, and fire would appear in one form or another until she laughed at something silly he did.
Exhausted from the training session, Brandy sat on the ground and Peter padded to her side. He curled against her leg, and she ran her hand down his body.
“You’re so soft,” she told him, noticing his eyes soften with affection. “Thanks again for trying this. I appreciate it.” Peter pushed his face into her hand, and she scratched under his muzzle. “It’s so easy to forget you aren’t an animal. Let’s go inside.”
Brandy jumped to her feet as his body shimmered with power. The fur covering Peter vanished, leaving the sinewy skin that covered his taut naked body.
“You did great!” Peter told her, his arms reaching out to hug her.
Putting up a hand, she stopped him. Her voice caught at the very impressive semi-hard dick hanging between his legs. She forced her eyes up to Peter’s, but before she could say anything, he ran across the field they’d been working on.
“What the hell is going on here?” Ryan’s voice boomed through the forest. He stood on the deck looking down at them, his angry eyes piercing hers.
A growl came from behind her, and she found Peter in wolf form, with his teeth bared at Ryan. Her attention returned to Ryan, noting the power radiating from him as his eyes bore down on his best friend.
She blamed exhaustion for not sensing he’d returned. They hadn’t done anything wrong. Ryan could be logical about Peter’s naked state because of his wolf form, but he had gone alpha male and was not open to reason.
Brandy closed her eyes and tuned out the swirl of power emanating from the two men. She remembered the fear she had felt when the man on the street shone his snapping teeth, preparing to rip out her throat. Warmth spread throughout her body, like she wrapped herself in a blanket in front of a toasty fire.
“Fucking A, babycakes,” Peter said with awe.
She opened her eyes and stared at the ten-foot wall of fire separating them from Ryan. “Find your pants and go inside.” From the corner of her eye, she watched Peter do as she asked, only stopping once to look from her to Ryan.
Once their friend was at a safe distance, she flicked a finger, and the only evidence of the fire was the smell lingering in the air. Ryan grabbed the railing of the deck and launched himself over it. He stood from his crouch and took a step forward.
A twelve-inch-high wall of fire stopped him from getting closer. A smirk tipped her lips at the excitement over how easily she managed the fire this time. Ryan looked at her with something so deep, butterflies took flight in her stomach.
“Bran—”
She shook her head and stood to her full height. “No, Rye. You don’t get to come here and be all accusing after a week of no word from you.” She would not make this easy on him. Time was not on their side regarding their level of trust, but she wouldn’t roll over, not for him or any other man for that matter.
“Sweetheart, I’m sorry.”
Her flames jumped higher, and Ryan leaned back. She had spent hours locked up, learning about the powerful women in her family tree, and she had grown up with six overbearing brothers. “Don’t you sweetheart me. We shared a couple kisses, then you persuade me to come out here with your best friend and then you can’t even fucking call or send a text? No. I could have been out here having mind-blowing sex with Peter, and it wouldn’t have been your right to throw him across this clearing.”
Ryan’s eyes darkened, and she wondered if she’d pushed it too far with the visual. “You’re my mate.”
She wondered what the hell he was talking about. The fire extinguished with her confusion, and Ryan took advantage of her lowered guard by stepping forward.
“Yeah, Brandy… We’re mates. How do you think I found you the night when the tubar was seconds from filleting you? I could feel your magic, but mostly I could sense you were in danger.”
“You’ve known this whole time, and you didn’t think to mention it?” Brandy balled her hands into a fist when her palms warmed.
Ryan chuckled a deep sexy sound that aroused her more than she would ever admit, especially when she wanted to kick his ass. “Well, you were handling this whole witch thing so well,” he told her with a quick glance at her flaming fists. “As you can imagine, I thought I’d wait until a better time. I was actually visiting with Peter, hoping the bastard would have some advice on it, when I sensed you were in danger.”
“You realize nothing is going on between Peter and me, right?” she whispered, needing more time to process the new information. She felt a strong invisible tie to him but had chalked it up to her attraction to the man. Never would she have guessed it was something deeper.
Ryan’s stared into her eyes. “How about you come home and find me with your naked best friend who is about to touch you and then we’ll talk.”
“Peter’s your best friend. He wouldn’t cross that line.” Even as she said the words, she was not sure if they were entirely true. Something told her that if she had chosen the attractive werewolf, he would not have denied her.
Ryan cocked his head to the side with disbelief. “I know you aren’t immune to his looks or his charms. I saw how he looked at you. I don’t know what happened this week, but he would lay down his life for you, and it no longer has to do with our friendship.”
“He’s not the one I want… or am mated to apparently,” she snapped, skirting around the truth of what she had noticed as well.
“Just because we’re mates, it doesn’t mean we have to be together,” he whispered, worry reflecting in his eyes.
Her brows furrowed at his words. Not being around Ryan for the last week had been hard. The idea of it becoming permanent was too much for her to process, which was absurd considering the little amount of time they’d known each other. She squeezed her fists quickly, smothering the flames in the process. “Shut up and kiss me,” she demanded without thought.
Ryan stepped forward and gathered her against him. His lips crushed hers in a searing kiss. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she breathed in his familiar scent. Their tongues tangled, gliding this way and that, familiarizing themselves after their time apart.
He pulled her to him, aligning their bodies better. His thickness pressed against her belly, telling her without words he wanted her.
Ryan made her feel alive, beautiful, and powerful. She could conquer anything with him at her side. It was an odd sentiment, seeing as they really did not know much about each other. He nibbled her lip, and bolts of need shot to between her thighs. Brandy moaned and rubbed against him, needing to claim him.
He grabbed her by the backs of her thighs and lifted her until their centers were flush. She needed more of him, needed his taste, his breath, and each sound emanating from him. Beyond the fog of animalistic lust, she knew her crazed need was illogical.
Turning her head, she deepened their kiss. She sucked on his tongue, and his chest vibrated with a guttural groan. She wondered what it was about him that made her do things she never would have considered. Her fingernails scraped against his scalp as she tugged on his just-too-long hair. Grabbing onto the soft strands, she held his face in place for her kisses.
She reluctantly broke away as Ryan lowered them to the moss-covered ground. Her eyes darted around, and she noticed he had brought them to the base of a large oak. Switching their positions, he sat and settled her so she straddled his hips. His hands slipped under her shirt and caressed her flesh. Goose bumps covered her as his warm fingers trailed along her skin.
“You’re so fucking sexy,” he told her as he leaned in and brushed his lips down her neck. “I tried fighting this, but I can’t walk away,” he muttered between kisses.
Brandy’s head dropped to the side, and her hand cradled his neck. Each lick, nibble, and kiss tormented her in the best possible way. She knew she should not compare, especially not now, but no one had ever made her feel like she did in that moment. It was both terrifying and exhilarating.
His
fingers drew lazy circles against her ribs, teasing along the sensitive flesh near her heavy breasts. He made her crazy with want, needing him to mark them as his.
As if he had plucked the thought straight from her mind, Ryan pulled up the hem of her shirt. With a flick of his fingers, her breasts spilled from their confining cups.
“I’ve wondered what they looked like... So much better than my imagination,” he muttered, taking them in.
Her brows drew together. “But you undressed me and put me in the tub when I was fevered.”
“I never looked. I used a spell to keep you hidden from my eyes. I was so worried about you, and I couldn’t have done that to you. It would have been wrong.”
Brandy grabbed the cotton and pulled it off, the cool air caressing her skin. His lips encircled one peak and then the other. Her head rolled back with pleasure as he worshipped her with his hands and mouth. A hum of energy flowed over and between them, driving them on.
“Your body was meant for my touch. Watch,” he commanded.
Forcing her heavy lids open, she met Ryan’s gaze. Her lips parted, sucking in a shallow breath. Ryan’s fingers ran along her skin, awakening sparks of need she didn’t know she had. He seemed to know her body better than she did. He turned her on like no other man, not that she had a lot of experience to draw from. She panted as he teased her in all the right places.
Lost in the fog of desire, she ground her hips over him, needing the friction. His fingers dug into her hips as his chest vibrated with an answering moan. He leaned back, his eyes dark with desire and focused on the gentle sway of her breasts.
